Commenting on statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the condition for Ukraine's entry into the military bloc will be its victory in the conflict with the Russian Federation, the deputy minister said: "This means this will never happen."
"I hope Mr. Stoltenberg understands this," he added, speaking in an interview with TASS.
"He knows better than I how the notorious decision of 2008 was prepared, when NATO leaders wrote at the highest level that Ukraine would become a member of NATO. This became the trigger for much of the entire crisis that we are observing today. If NATO members are ready to falling into the same trap again and history teaches them nothing, then they will get hit again and their bruises will get worse," he stressed.
When asked if it means that Ukraine will never join NATO, Ryabkov reiterated: "I think that this is ruled out.".